We are campaigning at Stormont to make stroke the priority it needs to be in Northern Ireland. After years of campaigning by the stroke community we were delighted when the Department of Health launched the Stroke Action Plan in June 2022. The long-awaited plan sets out priorities and actions to improve stroke services over five years.
However, progress with implementing the plan is slow and we are campaigning to make sure that key priorities within the plan are delivered. To make stroke the priority it needs to be in Northern Ireland, the Stroke Association want to see:
- Progress with Reshaping Stroke Care.
- Access to thrombectomy for everyone who needs it.
- Life after stroke support for everyone who needs it.
You can read more about our Progressing Stroke Reform, Struggling to Recover, Saving Brains: Thrombectomy and The Hidden Impact of Stroke: The Need for Psychological and Emotional Support reports which provide more detail on stroke care, recovery and prevention in NI.
Make thrombectomy access 24/7
Thrombectomy: Restoring Life, directed by 34-year-old videographer Harry Bateman from County Armagh, tells Harry’s family story after his father had a stroke in 2019 to emphasise the urgent need for a 24/7 thrombectomy service in Northern Ireland. For more information visit our Thrombectomy: Restoring Life page.
Thrombectomy is a life changing stroke treatment which restores blood flow to the brain following a stroke. It significantly reduces the chance of disabilities like paralysis, visual impairment and aphasia. Despite welcome expansion of the thrombectomy service in Northern Ireland over the past few years, it’s still not available 24/7 for everyone who needs it.
The Stroke Association want everyone who can benefit from this life-changing procedure to be able to access it, regardless of where or when they have their stroke.
Read our update on Saving Brains or read our report on thrombectomy to find out more about how it works, the impact it has, and how patients can benefit.
Join the conversation
Join our online communities with #MakeStrokeAPriority on:
Get involved
You can join our Campaigns network, a community of involved supporters raising awareness and campaigning for people affected by stroke.
Reshaping Stroke Care Action Plan
The Department of Health Stroke Action Plan published by Health Minister Robin Swann details six priority recommendations for much-needed stroke reform. These include thrombectomy, rehabilitation, workforce and long-term support. However, there is still much to be done to ensure that stroke patients and survivors receive the acute treatment, rehabilitation and long-term support services they need.
Although several milestones within the action plan have been missed, with the return of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive we are working closely to ensure that outstanding actions are progressed as quickly as possible. We will be working to facilitate stroke survivor and stakeholder engagement on key aspects of the plan including transformation and workforce.
The Stroke Association is working hard to keep stroke on the political agenda and to make the stroke community's voice heard at all levels of government.
Northern Ireland priorities update
In Autumn 2023 we updated our priorities to reflect the need to urgently progress the reconfiguration of stroke services and improve access to thrombectomy in Northern Ireland. We also highlight the need to ensure that stroke survivors get the vital care they need to thrive after their stroke.
View our Priorities Document.
Northern Ireland Manifesto
We have set out our asks for Government in our manifesto including reshaping stroke care, investing in rehabilitation and improving prevention.
View our full manifesto.
View the accessible version of our manifesto.
Survivor stories
We asked stroke survivors and their loved ones why the Northern Ireland Assembly needs to #MakeStrokeAPriority. Watch their stories of treatment, care, and recovery.